Improved method of boring oil-wells



I I UNITED STATES Errea..

PATENT JAMEs H. cLAPHAM, 0E NEw YoEK, N. Y.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 54,656, dated May 8,1866.V

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs HENRY GLAP- HAM, of the city and State of NewYork,have invented and made a certain new and useful Improvement inApparatus for Operating Drills for Wells; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear,and exact description of the saidinvention, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part ofthis specification, wherein- Figure l is a front elevation of saiddrilling apparatus. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is asection of the barrel for the rope, and Fig. 4 is a plan of fork orlever for turning the temper-screw.

Similar marks of reference denote the same parts.

In drilling oil and other wells it has been usual to have a lever orwalking-beam with a pitman and crank at one end and the temperscrew atthe other, or else the pitman and crank have been placed some height upin the derrick and acting downward upon the slide that carries thetemper-screw. This arrangement is very inconvenient and unreliable,because the crank and band wheel have to be so high up in the derrickthat they shake and injure said derrick. This arises from' the fact thatthe temper-screw and rope-clamp have to be at such a height that a mancan easily handle the rope, and to prevent the wheel and crank being sohigh up in the derrick only a short connecting-rod or pitman is used.

Heretofore the rope has usually been turned by hand to make the toolstrike successively around at the bottom of the hole. This causes therope to twist until that portion which extends from the temper-screw upinto the derrick has become considerably twisted, and then the ropeuntwisted by a reverse rotation of the tool.

The nature of my said invention consists in an arrangement of barrel forthe rope that allows the rope to pass through its axis, so that arotation of the barrel causes the rope to be revolved to untwist it atthe same rate as the twist is given to said rope in operating the tool.

I also arrange the band-wheel, crank, and pit- 'man below the slide andtemper-screw, so that the parts rest firmly down upon the ground orfoundation and the usual vibration is avoided. A much longer pitman canbe used and the movement `is more free from friction than heretofore,and the whole operative mechanism is in a compact form that can be madeseparate from andindependent ofthe derrick, and easily moved, ifrequired.

In the drawings, a is the frame or sills of the machine on a suitablefoundation, and carrying theuprights or posts b, and braces c.

d is a band-wheel on the shaft c, supported in boxes in b, said wheeland shaft being rotated by a belt from competent power.

f is a disk on the end of the shaft c, with a crank-pin, l, which maybemoved to any of the holes in said disk, so as to vary the length ofstroke given to the drill-slide and drill.

g is a connecting-rod from the crank-pin 1 to the drill-slide 7L, set tomove on the ways t' attached to b.

7c is the temper-screw passing through a nut in It, which nut, forconvenience in running the screw up, may be made in halves to open.

l is the clamp for the rope m, and said rope extends to the tool or itsholder, employed as usual in boring the well. This rope m passes overthe sheaves in the upper part of the derrick, as now generally provided,then goes to the barrel a. If this rope m passed to the side of thebarrel u, the said rope would be twisted by the turning ofthe tool, asaforesaid.. I therefore pass the rope into the hollow axleo ofthe saidbarrel n, thence through an opening to the barrel, and cause the saidbarrel to be rotated to revolve the rope as fast as it is twisted inoperating the tool.

The barrel n is mounted on the end of the shaft e, as seen in Fig. 3,and provided with a friction-coupling,p, operated by a lever, so thatthe barrel can be rotated by the shaft e or remain stationary.

In the hollow axle o is a movable section, 3, that can be taken out whenthe cap of the bearing et is removed, so that the rope can be lengthenedas the drilling progresses by being unwound from the barrel and then bereplaced in the hollow axle for being untwisted, as aforesaid. Thisarrangement allows the well-rope and tools to be drawn up directly whenthe rope is disconnected from the clamp and the rope removed from thehollow axle o, thus greatly facilitating the operations and simplifyingthe mechanism.

A lever and pawl, g, are provided, taking a ratchet on the barrel a, bywhich said barrel can be turned by hand from time to time to take thetwist out of the rope, and this lever and pawl become a powerfulhand-purchase to the rope in case the drill may stick, or when thewell-tubing may be raised or lowered, or other duty performed by therope.

I make use of a fork or slotted lever, r, and ratchet s on the lower endof the temper-screw k, to turn said temperscrew progressively, said forkor lever beingoperated by the swaying of the connecting-rod g, overwhich rod` said fork passes.

I hang the rope-clamp Z, by a yoke, 14, and clips 5, from the end of thetempenscrew, the said clips being made to open on ahinge, and grasping,when closed, a neck in the ropeclamp, so that said rope-clamp -can beturned independent of the temper-screw 7c, and said rope-clamp is madein two pieces hinged together and pressed to the rope by a screw, 6, andat the bottom of the said clamp is a ratchet-wheel, s', operated by apawl on a forked lever, r', that also sets over the connecting-rod g, sothat the motion of said rod g shall rotate the rope-clamp progressivelyfor turning the tool.

This apparatus effects a great saving by lessening friction, vibration,and wear, and is much less costly and cumbersome than the del vicesheretofore employed, the bull-wheel, Snc.,

for winding the rope being dispensed with.

It will be evident that a wire rope may be applied with this apparatusin place of the usual hemp rope, and that the pump-rods for operatingthe pump in the well may be connected to the cross-head in place of thetemper-screw, the arrangement of the band-wheel, crank, andconnecting-rod causing the force to operate downward to hold theapparatus to its place, thereby avoiding the usual vibration to thederrick and mechanism.

I do not claim, broadly, a windlass with a hollow axis for the deliveryof the rope, as that is old.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The arrangement of the band-wheel d, crank-pin 1, connecting-rod g,and slide h, in the manner specified and for the purposes set forth.

2. The friction-clutch p and rope-barrel n, in combination with theshaft e, connecting-rod g, and slide h, for operating the boring-tools,

as specified, so that the said boring-tools can be drawn up by thedirect application of power to the tool-rope in the manner set forth.

3. The fork or slotted lever r, actuating the temper-screw progressivelyby motion from the pitman, as set forth.

4. The fork or slotted lever for rotating the rope-clamp progressivelyby motion from the pitman, as set forth.

5. Connecting the temper-screw directly to the reciprocating cross-head,as specified, thereby dispensing with the slings heretofore employed forsuspending the said temperscrew.

6. The combination of the rope m, clamp Z, withits rotating device r ands', temper-screw 7c, with its rotating device r and s, andconnecting-yoke 14, andthe windlass a, arranged, constructed, andoperated as described, as and for the purpose set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my signature this 17th day ofNovember, A. D. 1865.

JAS. HY. GLAPHAM.

Witnesses:

LEMUnL W. SERRELL, GHAs. H. SMITH.

